


Bruce Charming

by Akoia



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Batfamily Feels, Batfamily Shenanigans, Batman: The Dark Prince, Crime Fighting, Found Family, Organized Crime, Past Child Abuse, mentions of domestic abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-21
Updated: 2019-01-22
Packaged: 2019-10-13 10:50:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17486747
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akoia/pseuds/Akoia
Summary: Bruce Wayne nervously walked into the GCPD. Jim Gordon invited him into a locked waiting room where a small girl in ripped tights and a pink sundress. The night before, Mariah Shelley had been rushed to the hospital after her drunk boyfriend shot her. And her daughter, Alina, had witnessed the entire thing. What did that have to do with him? Everything, apparently.





	1. Chapter 1

_'It might not be true'_ , Bruce reasoned when he told Gordon that he wanted a DNA test before he took the girl with him. The woman could have been lying, or delirious, or confused. So he'd willingly allowed for a nurse to swab the inside of his mouth before taking his leave. He  _did_ have a meeting in just a few hours. He felt  _awful_ for that poor child, and would probably start a college fund or something even if she didn't turn out to be his. He knew what it felt like to watch someone gun down your family. 

He wasn't going to tell anyone besides Alfred about what was happening. There was no need to cause any stress when there were no definitive answers. He'd know by the end of the next day at the latest. But he'd still need Alfred to know,  _just in case,_ that they might be having an extra head at the dinner table. He called Alfred from inside his car. 

" _Master Bruce? Is everything alright?"_ He asked. 

"No, not really," Bruce said with a sigh. He summed up the situation as best he could as  _quickly_ as he could. When he was finished he waited, and Alfred said nothing. Then a long, tired,  _exasperated_ sigh came over the other end of the phone. 

" _This_ is  _a predicament, isn't it?"_ Alfred muttered. " _Well, I will prepare a room for this child, just in case. Now, how are you planning to tell the others?"_

"Not yet," Bruce said. "I don't know for  _sure_ if she's mine. If she is...well I'd tell Damian and Cass first, considering they're the only ones who are living at home, right now. I'd tell the others after she was a bit more settled in." They finished their conversation, talking about small things, like what should Alfred make for dinner, and if he was going 'out' that night. 

He got out of his car, straightened his tie, and stepped into the shoes of the billionaire playboy who _also_ had a company to run. He walked through the doors, giving his secretary a nod, and walked up to his office with a confident swagger. Tim was in his own office across the hall, doing his paperwork. The 17-year-old looked up and gave Bruce a curt wave before turning his nose back down to the page. 

There was a huge stack of work on his own desk, waiting for him menacingly.   He walked around his office and sat at his desk and shook his head. He resigned himself to at least eight hours of that. He grabbed the first page on the pile and read it over. Someone was skimming money on one of the Wayne Enterprise branches in England, and they needed his permission to investigate it further. No problems there. He sighed off on it and quickly got to the next page. Just a report about that month's funding. He quickly signed that too. 

It took three hours. He was caught up in his work that he almost missed his phone ringing. He set his pen down and took a deep breath. He picked it up and put it up to his ear. "Bruce Wayne, speaking," he said. 

 _"Hello mister Wayne, this is Commissioner Gordon from the GCPD, we have the test results here for you,_ " he said. 

Bruce cleared his throat. "Alright, I'm ready." 

 _"I hope you are,"_ Gordon said sarcastically. " _They came back positive, Mister Wayne. There's a 98% chance that Alina is your daughter..."_ Gordon said, sounding like he was reading from a piece of paper. Bruce was quiet for a while. " _What would you like to do, Mister Wayne?"_ He asked. " _She has no other living relatives."_

Bruce ran his fingers through his hair. "Well...then I'll be coming to pick her up and I'll sign whatever you need me too. I have more than enough room in my home for another pair of small feet." 

" _That's what I thought,"_ Gordon said with a short laugh. " _We'll be waiting then, Mister Wayne."_

Bruce hung up and pushed away from his desk. He grabbed his cell, sending a quick: ' _she's mine, I'm coming over to tell Cass and Damian.'_ He threw on his coat and walked out of his office, locking the door. He poked his head into Tim's door. "I need you to hold down the fort for the rest of the day, I promise I'll tell you what's going on, later." 

Tim blinked in surprise before nodding. "Sure thing, B," he said, giving a salute. Bruce nodded in aproval before walking quickly out of the tower. 

* * *

 

Alfred had rounded up Damian and Cass, by the time Bruce got home, they were both waiting for him in the dining room. Bruce sat across from them, opening and closing his mouth a few times before looking at Alfred who gestured towards the other two. "Eight years ago, I had a  _romantic encounter_ with a woman named Mariah Shelley, which resulted in a child that she didn't tell me about," Bruce said finally. The reaction from Damian was an instant defensive crossing of his arms. He sneered at his father, glaring daggers at him. The twelve-year-old had insecurities, Bruce knew that, and he wished that he could take them all away with a wave of his hand. "Last night, Mariah was murdered by her boyfriend. Alina, which is the girl's name, has no other living family. So she will be coming to live with us." 

"When?" Damian demanded. 

"Tonight," Bruce said. "She has nowhere else to go, Damian, or I wouldn't be rushing this decision."  

Damian pressed his lips together and stood up. He had his hands held behind his back, and Bruce could tell by the way his muscles tightened that he  _wasn't_ happy. "Very well then," Damian said with a jerk of his head, excusing himself from the table. Bruce looked at Cass who pointed after the young man, narrowing her eyes. 

"You're right," he said with a breath, getting out of his chair and walking quickly after his son. "Damian," he called when he caught up. "Damian, look at me!" He said, putting a hand on Damian's shoulder. "This girl is  _not_ coming here to replace you." Damian wouldn't turn his head.  

"Aren't I enough?" Damian asked quietly. 

" _More_ than enough," Bruce said. "She is coming here because she is family. Just because she'll be here, doesn't mean that I suddenly won't care about you."   

"And you won't make her Robin?" 

"No," Bruce said firmly. "I have no intentions of involving her in any of that. But I'm sure it must be strange for you, you're finally going to be an older brother." 

Damian shrugged, but let his arms fall to his sides. "So long as she isn't a total idiot, I guess," he said with a shrug before retreating to his room. Bruce was counting that as a victory. He went back downstairs and grinned slightly when Cass gave him a thumbs up.  

"Will you be going to get the young miss now?" Alfred asked, raising an eyebrow. 

"Yes," Bruce said. "Do you have her room ready?" He asked. 

"Across from miss Cassandra's," Alfred said. "Though I imagine we'll have to take her to get a few things, as soon as possible." 

"Right, yeah, maybe this weekend if she feels up to it." 

* * *

 

Bruce made his second trip to the GCPD headquarters that day. He saw the girl was sitting on a bench, with a hoodie several sizes too big for her wrapped around her small shoulders. She was holding a stuffed rag doll, and Bruce had to stop himself from grinning like an idiot when he realized that it was one of those unlicensed Nightwing dolls that had been circulating. She looked up when he walked in, and Bruce caught sight of her eyes. They had the same bright green that Damian had. He smiled at her, waving his fingers, and she ducked her head down. 

"Wayne, over here," a gravelly voice said. Bruce looked over and saw Gordon waving his over with a cigar in his mouth. He had a folder of paper and a pen. "Here's the skinny," he said, flipping it open. "Medical reports show that she's been physically abused, probably by the boyfriend. She's been in the hospital in the past two years with broken bones, the worst of the injuries was from seven months ago when she came into the hospital with a compound fracture on her right arm. 

"You will be subject to random home visits until the adoption is made official, but you know to expect those from when you adopted Richard and Cassandra. She will be required to attend therapy once a week, however, I'm sure you can handle that. Her therapist will determine when it's best to send her back to school" He shrugged and adjusted his glasses. "By signing this, you agree to be the caretaker of Alina Shelley - I'm sure you can get that changed - and you will take responsibility to be sure she receives the care she needs." 

Bruce signed on the proper dotted lines. His lawyer would have _killed_ him for doing that without having him present. When he was finished, Gordon went behind the counter and kneeled down, holding out his hand to Alina who hesitantly took it. He led her over to Bruce who made sure his face was as open and kind as he could physically force it to be. There were bruises around her neck. He lowered himself down and held his hand out for her to shake. "Hello there," he said gently. "I'm Bruce Wayne, you'll be coming to live with me from now on." 

She looked up at him curiously. "Are you my dad?" She asked. 

"I sure am," Bruce said with a soft chuckle. She reached out and shook his hand, before retreating back into her safe zone. "Alright, we should get going." Bruce stood up. "Thank you, Commissioner," he said with a tilt of his head. Bruce led Alina to his car, without touching her. He opened the door to the backseat for her and closed it when she was safely inside. 

She watched him carefully for the rest of the car ride. 

When he arrived back at the manor he heard her gasp softly. He looked back at her and saw that she was looking at it with a slacked jaw. "This is your house?" She asked, voice just above a whisper. 

"It's your house now too," Bruce said with a grin. He stepped out and opened the door for her. "Come on, I want you to meet a few people." Her eyes widened and she drew back, wrapping her hoodie tighter around her body. "Ah," Bruce said when he saw. "I promise that no harm will come to you under my roof," he said gently. "I'll even  _pinkie promise."_

She pulled her doll out from her pocket and held it close. "Alright..." she shuffled out of the car but made sure she was walking behind him. She kept her eyes firmly on his back and seemed to be one move from running away as fast as she could. Alfred beat them to the door, opening it, concealing his grin. He looked down at Alina who narrowed her eyes suspiciously at him, sticking a little closer to Bruce. 

Cassandra and Damian were waiting in the entrance hall. Damian looking impatient, and Cassandra bouncing excitedly from foot to foot. "Alina, I would like you to meet Damian and Cassandra," Bruce said, gesturing to the two of them. "Damian is your older brother and Cass is your older sister." Then he walked around her and rested a hand on Alfred's shoulder. "This is Alfred, he's our butler, but he is  _family._ He practically raised me." 

Alina squeezed her doll tighter and looked down at the tile floor. "Nice to meet you," she whispered quietly.

Bruce and Alfred shared a look. Bruce looked back at Cassandra. "Will you please show your sister to her room?" He asked her. 

She  _bounced_ forward and bent at the waist, holding her hand out to Alina who shifted a bit before taking the offered hand. The two girls trailed out of the room and Bruce left his smile slip off of his face. He rubbed his temples. 

"Father she is covered in bruises," Damian said, sounding somewhat disturbed. 

"I will...show you the report later," he said. "For now, let's just try and make this as comfortable a transition for her as we can." 

Damian turned his head and looked at the place where Cass and Alina had disappeared. He hummed and quickly made his exit towards the library. Alfred closed and locked the door. "We will be having vegetarian lasagna for dinner tonight. Six sharp, don't be late," Alfred said before leaving Bruce alone in the entrance hall. 

It left Bruce with one hell of a conundrum. He didn't want to hide his daughter from the rest of his children, but he knew that a houseful of people who didn't  _always_ get along wouldn't be good for her. He'd have to introduce them to her a few at a time. But he was going to tell them as soon as he could. Probably while they were all on patrol. He could tell them to meet up at the cave, where he'd drop the news. At least he got to enjoy a quiet meal beforehand. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

Alina followed Cassandra, watching her closely. Her hand held Alina's carefully, giving her enough wiggle room that if she wanted to get away, she could. Cassandra stopped in front of a door and opened it, pushing Alina gently through the door. It was  _big,_ which was the first thing she noticed. Big enough she was sure that most of her apartment could fit inside it. It even had a private bathroom. The bed was huge, pushed against the wall in the middle of the room. There was even a TV. Was this what being rich was like? Cassandra walked into the room and opened the sliding door to a closet. There was nothing inside, but Alina thought that someone would take her back to her apartment to get her clothes. 

Alina kind of just wished her mother would come to get her. Bruce Wayne was her dad, and that was cool he could still do that, but she wanted to go home with her mom soon. But in the meantime, she'd wait in the nice house. She looked at Cassandra who seemed just as lost as she felt. Alina was glad that she had a  _sister._ She'd always been jealous of her friend Jamie because he had an older sister. But...how did one go about  _having_ a sister. Alina looked down at Nightwing, squeezing him a little tighter. "Would you like to say hello to Nightwing?" She asked. 

Cassandra looked down at the doll, the smile growing on her face. She held her hands together, palms out. Alina set Nightwing in her hands and smiled when the teenager held it up to her face. "Hello," she said, cheerfully tilting her head to the side. She placed a kiss on top of the doll's head and handed it back to Alina who was beaming. 

She took her doll back, tucking it under one arm. "What do I do now?" She asked, rocking back and forth on her feet." 

"Dinner soon," Cassandra said. "Should change." 

"I don't have anything to change  _into."_ Alina pointed out. 

Cassandra hummed before snapping her fingers. "Yes, wait," she said before shuffling out of the room and into the room across the hall. Alina watched her walked around the room, opening random drawers. She returned with a few small items of clothing. She handed them to Alina who thanked her. She went into the bathroom and closed the door. She looked in the mirror and winced. She looked like a rat, after spending the entire night and most of the day in the police station.

Her brown hair was greasy and matted in some places with her mom's blood after Tony'd shot her. Her skin was pale, and there were specks of dirt on her nose and cheeks. She  _needed_ a shower. She hoped the others in the house wouldn't get angry. She turned it on and jerked her hand back with a yelp when it came out  _hot._ The shower in her house took a few seconds before any hot water came out. She shook her head and thought that it must just be a rich person thing. 

When she got in, she winced when the water hit her sore muscles. The bruises on her back were the worst. Tony smacked her across the shoulders with a kitchen chair when she turned her back on him. He said it was 'disrespectful.' That had been just a week before the  _incident._ She rolled her shoulders and winced, grunting. There was a bottle of shampoo on the edge of the tub, so she grabbed it and poured it on her hair. It smelled like strawberries. She finished the rest of the shower when she felt like she was good and cleaned off. She grabbed one of the fluffy white towels and dried off. 

She changed into the clothes Cassandra had lent her and smiled. It was a large sweatshirt with a cartoon panda laying on his back, and a pair of stretchy pants with cats on them. It was all a little big, but  _very_ comfy. When she left the bathroom she found Cassandra was sitting on the bed, with a smartphone in her hand. She looked up and smiled, turning the picture around, showing Alina a few pictures of braided hair. 

"You want to braid it?" Alina asked, running her fingers through her hair. Cassandra nodded enthusiastically. "Well...alright then, just don't pull it," Alina said, moving to sit beside Cassandra who turned both their bodies, so Alina was more or less sitting in her lap. Cassandra handed her Nightwing, who had been chilling out on one of her pillows. It felt nice, her fingers were quick and gentle. When she was finished, she took a picture with Alina, both of them smiling. When her mom came got out of the hospital, Alina hoped that she'd still let her see Cassandra. She was really nice.

Cass took her by the hand and gestured towards the door. Alina pushed closer to the young woman, holding Nightwing tighter. Cassandra led her down the stairs and ducked her head into a side room. "Food?" She asked the older man who was standing in the kitchen. 

"Yes, almost ready," he said, bending down and pulling out a hot tray from the oven. "Please take miss Alina to the dining room. I'll round up master Wayne and Master Damian." 

Cassandra saluted and gently pulled Alina through the hall and opened the door to a large dining table. There were four places already set, and Cassandra pulled out a chair for Alina who giggled when she was pushed in closer to the table. Cassandra sat next to her. The two of them only had to wait a few minutes before the door opened again and Damian entered, his hands behind his back. He paused for a moment and looked at Alina, seeming to size her up in a second. He nodded to both of them and sat in the chair across from Alina. Shortly after him, Bruce entered and smiled at the three of them, before taking the seat at the head of the table. 

"Your hair looks nice," he said as he sat down." 

"Thank you," Alina said, looking down at her plate. Cassandra rested the palm of her hand on the top of Alina's head, smiling softly. The older man entered the dining room, rolling a cart that had their dinner. Nice lasagna, a plate of freshly baked garlic bread, and salad. Cassandra insisted on filling up Alina's plate. The girl ate quietly, listening to the quiet conversation that seemed to mostly involved Damian and Bruce, though her dad did try and involve her and Cassandra from time to time. 

When she was finished, she was exhausted. She followed her new sister up the stairs, and even let Cassandra tuck her and Nightwing into bed. She closed her eyes, wondering if her mom was coming to get her the next morning. 

* * *

Bruce didn't have a cowl on, while he sat in the Batcave, waiting for the rest of the family to show up. Except for Barbra who was video calling in. The first people who showed up were Stephanie and Tim. "Does this have anything to do with why you left work early today?" Tim asked, sliding off his bike. Next was Dick. Barbra called in and Jason arrived twenty minutes late. Cass and Damian, who already knew, were standing next to Bruce. 

"Good, you're all here." Bruce stood from his chair. "I have an announcement," he said, interlocking his fingers and standing straighter. He took a deep breath and looked down at Damian who shrugged. "Two nights ago, a woman who I had a physical relationship with was murdered by her boyfriend. Out of our relations, she had a daughter. A DNA test proved that her daughter  _is_ mine. So she has come here." 

There was a silence that stretched out as they all took in what Bruce had just told them. Tim looked at Cass and Damian who were unphased by the news. "And you two knew already?" He asked. 

"Indeed we did, Drake," Damian said. "She arrived earlier today, and is asleep upstairs." 

"I...what...all those lectures you gave _me_ about protection _!"_ Dick rubbed his temples. His shoulders slumped. "Poor kid, did she see it happen?" He asked. 

"Yes," Bruce answered. "She witnessed the murder. A physical test that was done on her also shows that her mother's boyfriend was abusive towards her as well. She has several visible bruises on her wrists and around her neck. Which is why she's a bit...unsure around adults. She took to Cassandra right away." Bruce cleared his throat. "I wanted you all to know about her, she's a part of our family now, and I want her to meet you all..." 

"But not all at once," Jason finished when Bruce didn't finish. "Can't believe I'm saying this, but I agree with you. It'd probably just freak her." 

"Yes, exactly!" Bruce nodded. "I was thinking one or two at a day." 

So they worked out a rudimentary schedule for who would meet her on what day. Jason and Steph would be the day after Tim and Dick, considering they both had to leave the city the day after. Then Kate would come with Barbra. He dismissed them after the conversation. 

Bruce was really hoping it all went well. The family was  _just_ starting to become sort of stable. Jason, Tim, and Damian had finally stopped their violent fights. Jason even sometimes came to dinner with Dick. This was the first time in  _years_ where he wasn't nervous about his family trying to murder each other, and he just hoped that Alina strengthened that bond, instead of strained it. He looked over at Damian and Dick who were having a quiet conversation in the corner of the cave. Damian's hands were clenched into fists, and he looked like he was gritting his teeth. Dick sighed and put a hand on Damian's shoulder. 

Dick decided to stay to get a few of Alfred's cookies that were still up in the kitchen. When Bruce was passing by, he pulled him in and crossed his arms. "I don't need to tell you that Damian is upset, do I?" Dick asked. 

"No," Bruce admitted. "What was I supposed to do? Alina doesn't have anywhere else to go. I made sure to talk to Damian, to tell him that she wasn't coming to replace him." 

Dick sighed and shook his head. "I know, alright, I'm not saying that you shouldn't have taken her in -I'm thrilled, really- but you still need to think about Damian's feelings. He's the child you didn't  _choose_ to have. Even thought Alina is yours by blood, you still went out of your way to bring her into your home, Damian, on the other hand, was thrust onto you. He is insecure about his place in the family." 

Bruce looked away from Dick and thought about it. "I'll make sure I talk to him tonight, then," Bruce said. 

" _Good,"_ Dick said, a smile springing onto his face. "I'm really excited to meet her, I'll be bringing a gift." 

"You know, she carries one of those unlicensed 'Hero' dolls Harben makes," Bruce said, a smirk lighting his face. "It's a Nightwing doll." 

"Awww," Dick clapped his hands and grinned. "Alright, I'll see you tomorrow!  _Talk_ to Damian, B!"  

He watched his oldest son leave, a baggie of fresh baked cookies in his hands. Bruce waved goodbye and climbed the stairs. First, he stopped at Cass's room, opening the door, and seeing her doing her stretches. She stopped and waved at him, a grin on her face. Next, he went to check on Alina. She was curled up in the middle of the bed, wrapped up in the blankets. Last he went to Damian's room. He was still awake, pouring over a book, hand stroking Titus's head. 

"Isn't it a bit late?" Bruce asked, but smiled so Damian would know he was joking. "I think the two of us need to talk, mind if I come in?" He asked. Damian looked up from his book, shutting it around his fingers. He gestured for Bruce to sit down on a chair that was at Damian's desk. Bruce walked in and sat down, giving his youngest son a smile. 

"Is there something the matter?" Damian asked. 

"Well, I don't know, is there?" Bruce asked. "How do you feel about Alina being here?" 

Damian shifted and put his book on the nightstand by his bed. "I do not see how that matters, she's  _here,_ isn't she?" 

"Yes, she is, but your feelings are still important to me," Bruce said. "It's okay to be upset by change. It's okay to feel uncomfortable with someone new living in your space." 

"I...wish there had been some warning," he said evenly. "I understand that you have a responsibility towards her. But none of us got the chance to think about it." 

"Truth be told, I didn't get any warning either," Bruce said, cracking a smile. "But you know her being here doesn't suddenly mean that I won't have time for you anymore, right?" He asked, and Damian said nothing. Bruce reached out and put a hand on his knee. "I'm not going to push you to the side, just because there's someone new living here." 

"I...yes, thank you for talking with me, Father," Damian said. 

"Of course, and if there's anything else you need to get off your chest, I'm always here for you." 

This time Damian smiled back. 


End file.
